Filed under: Government/Legal , Buick , Chevrolet , Chrysler , Dodge , Ford , GM , Lexus , Toyota The United States Patent and Trademark Office is a treasure trove for auto enthusiasts, especially those who double as conspiracy theorists. Why has Toyota applied to trademark ” Supra ,” the name of one of its legendary sports cars, even though it hasn’t sold one in the United States in 16 years? Why would General Motors continue to register ” Chevelle ” long after one of the most famous American muscle cars hit the end of the road? And what could Chrysler possibly do with the rights to “313,” the area code for Detroit ? There are a lot of possible answers to these questions, since automakers apply for trademarks for a variety of reasons. While a filing can be the first sign of a new model – or the return of an old favorite – moving to secure a trademark can just as easily be a smoke signal. Frequently, it’s just a routine legal procedure to maintain rights to a famous name so it can be used on t-shirts and coffee mugs. The United States Patent and Trademark Office is a treasure trove for auto enthusiasts, especially those who double as conspiracy theorists. Though there’s strong circumstantial evidence Toyota may in fact be working on a Supra-successor, for now the name is simply a filing that’s weaving its way through the federal bureaucracy. Toyota has let the Supra trademark lapse in the past before reapplying for it.

Filed under: Concept Cars , Coupe , Performance , Toyota , Design/Style Enthusiasts have been begging for a new Supra practically since Toyota stopped selling its fourth generation in the US way back in 1998. We’ve been hearing rumors about a successor for years, but the Toyota FT-1 Concept from the 2014 Detroit Auto Show is the first tangible sign from the automaker that a new generation may be on the table. To temp us even more, the Japanese company reportedly filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office last week to renew its 2010 trademark for the name “Supra.” Granted, these kinds of trademark updates aren’t uncommon, as automakers don’t want to lose their rights to nameplates (even if they have no immediate plans to use them). However, Toyota briefly abandoned its rights to the Supra name entirely. According to The Motor Report , the original trademark was continually renewed until 2006, but the Japanese automaker let it lapse in the US until applying for it again in 2010. The FT-1 Concept in Detroit was created at Toyota’s Calty Design Research center in California and carries cues from the 2000GT , Celica and Supra in an ultra-curvy body. Officials did not disclose anything about its powertrain. Toyota is also co-developing a future sports car platform with BMW that will underpin models from both companies, but few other details are konwn, and it isn’t yet clear that the joint venture has anything to do with a future Supra. Hope springs eternal. Toyota renews Supra trademark, we renew frothing at the mouth originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Feb 2014 10:01:00 EST.

Filed under: Performance , SUV , Government/Legal , Toyota , Toys/Games , Specialty , Off-Road Things are looking up for Icon . The company just moved from its tiny original location to a sprawling new facility, and every machine its craftsmen produce is sold before the final bolts are tightened. There’s even talk of finding ways to triple production in order to keep up with demand. In addition to the off-road titans and clever Derelict models we know and love, Jonathan Ward, CEO and Lead Designer with the company, is busy working to expand his business with corporate partnerships and new products that go beyond old metal. But Icon recently made headlines for another reason all together. As you may recall, Icon recently accused Hot Wheels and parent company Mattel of infringing on the customizer’s design and naming trademarks. Jonathan Ward, CEO and head designer for Icon, says the trouble started in September, 2010 when he pitched the idea of a die-cast Icon model to Alec Tam, the design director for Hot Wheels . Ward sent an email with the full Icon product book to Mattel to no avail. Six months later, he received a note from a customer congratulating him on scoring a deal with Hot Wheels. The client had spotted a rendering on the Hot Wheels future product page that looked awfully similar to a promotional shot Icon uses for the company’s FJ40 model.

Filed under: Classics , SUV , Government/Legal , Toyota , Toys/Games , Specialty , Design/Style , Off-Road In a perfect world, all of our favorite companies would get along merrily. But sadly, we do not live in a perfect world. Icon , the company behind some of the most lust-worthy vintage off-roaders and street machines in existence, is accusing toymaker Mattel of stealing the FJ40 Baja Edition design for a Hot Wheels die cast toy. According to the most recent Icon newsletter, Hot Wheels lifted a photo of the heavily modified FJ40, slathered a quick Photoshop job over the image and called it a day. Except Mattel reportedly never asked Icon for permission to use the image or the vehicle design in its marketing or products. Icon reportedly reached out to Mattel to no avail. That’s about when the custom builder turned to its lawyers, prompting the attorney for Hot Wheels to say the company wanted to settle the matter out of court. A month went by before Icon once again tried to reach out. Mattel allegedly dismissed Icon, effectively challenging the smaller company to try to sue the toy monolith if Icon thought it stood a chance. Hot Wheels hasn’t spoken out on the issue.

Filed under: Government/Legal , Lexus , Toyota , Design/Style , Luxury Apparently the new Lexus spindle grille is here to stay. According to the Kaizen Factor blog, Toyota has filed numerous trademark applications in both the United States and Canada for various spindle grille designs. The main differences in the designs are the inserts, either a zig-zag mesh like the current F Sport models of the CT , IS , GS , RX and LS , or a horizontal pattern like the non-F Sport models. But there’s also a new “vertical bar” design revealed by the filings, which the report speculates may be applied to the next-generation IS. Toyota has also filed paperwork to trademark the basic spindle outline with no insert, according to the report. For what it’s worth, Lexus isn’t the only Japanese automaker that’s using a grille with this general shape … Lexus moves to trademark spindle grille originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 May 2012 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Government/Legal , Lexus , Toyota , Design/Style , Luxury Apparently the new Lexus spindle grille is here to stay. According to the Kaizen Factor blog, Toyota has filed numerous trademark applications in both the United States and Canada for various spindle grille designs. The main differences in the designs are the inserts, either a zig-zag mesh like the current F Sport models of the CT , IS , GS , RX and LS , or a horizontal pattern like the non-F Sport models. But there’s also a new “vertical bar” design revealed by the filings, which the report speculates may be applied to the next-generation IS. Toyota has also filed paperwork to trademark the basic spindle outline with no insert, according to the report. For what it’s worth, Lexus isn’t the only Japanese automaker that’s using a grille with this general shape … Lexus moves to trademark spindle grille originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 May 2012 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink